No I am sure they will support Obama also. This is not about political beliefs. It is about buying politicians and maintaining their control over the country. How do you think they were able to steal billions form the taxpayers and no one has gone to jail?

The oil, banking and health insurance companies are intent on buying the next president. With the permission of the conservative Supreme Court, they will do just that. The Koch Bros. and the Swift Boat sleaze balls, Aisles and others will run their ads, specializing in lies, propaganda, and fear mongering. America is for sale. With a significant fraction of the right incapable of separating lies from truth, recognizing what's important for their lives and what is merely misinformation, they will have some success. I'm betting many of those in the center will find the advertising repugnant, and realize they are being treated like pawns.

Of course, consider the options of the right. Are they going to own up to the fact that they have no solutions? Are they going to own up to the fact that they have no desire to solve the health care crisis? Are they going to admit they care about profits and the environment can die while they reap profits? Are they going to explain how another war they want with Iran will only benefit their bottom line? Owning up to their greed, decadence, indifference is not going to win votes. So . . . simply smear, lie, distract. yeah, that's the ticket.

I am disgusted by the incompetence of Obama. Both parties are in the pockets of the lobbyists. I do believe we need changes and we need to keep rotating our elected officials. Let's put Romney in because he is the most qualified of the pack. If he doesn't deliver, then in four years we hand him his report card.

Anony Mous1

Term limits for all is a great idea . Trouble is it will never happen as long as the special interest groups, along with all the various pac's are buying congress and the presidency . All of us together must find a way to put an end to the money they spend to buy our government. This is part of what O.W.S. is all about .

bob

Romney is just another Wall Street weasel. However, I'm not sure that Obama is any better. Both have sold out America to special interest groups.

Bill, you're absolutely correct. What never fails to surprise me is how so many of these right wingers believe the lies and distortions without even looking at how the Republican legislation has done absolutely nothing to give them a better standard of living, unite the nation, or show fiscal responsibility. They continuously buy into the right propaganda that the American worker at either the private, state or federal level is to blame for everything because they are paid too much, receive to much in pensions/retirement, or cost businesses too much with health care. They do absolutely nothing to acknowledge the out of control debt and spending by the previous administration or the socialism and killing of Capitalism that their party created with privatized profit and socialized losses in 2008!

Rank and file Republicans believe that 99% can live on crumbs left on the floor by the 1%. What a bunch of clueless morons.

Private equity funds and hedge funds were the biggest contributors to Restore Our Future,

Restore WHO'S future??

The mega rich money interests foam at the mouth in anticipation of having "one of their 'Own' back in the White House so they can get down to the business of neutering any legislation which hamstrings their abilities to screw the living piss out of American loan and credit card holders (among other things). Romney is nothing more than a two-faced snake oil salesman who would spew his rhetoric to an audience of "Rubes" who's combined total worth wouldn't buy the front door to Romney's new home but are so enthralled with the Republican Party that they would fling themselves off the nearest cliff with their other Republican friends if the direction was pointed out to them.

to give them a better standard of living

tjohn_missouri - That pretty much sums up the difference. You expect the government to give you a better standard of living. We don't.

Skup, I don't expect expect anything from the government except legislation that doesn't take trash the economy thereby eliminating jobs by the millions. It's funny how the supporters of the right have no problem with the millions of dollars in corporate performance bonuses being paid to "top talent" from taxpayer funded bailouts for driving their businesses into the dirt!! You can knock social programs all you want but welfare is welfare whether it's gained in the soup line or in the board room.

Hmmm, no mention of the monies donated to the Obama campaign by these same donors? Interesting....

@Common Man, Anony, Rev, and Skup.... You are either paid to peddle your feckless and fact-less drivel or you believe in the corporate deity that promises substantial returns and no risk. Either way, you know the thrust of the GOP has been compromised by the arrogance and avarice of the amoral puppets you call candidates.

Conservatives actually had a chance to show they cared about everyday Americans and they blew it.

Just because someone has a different approach to governing, doesn't mean they don't care. I think liberals and conservatives would be better served if they tried to actually listen to those with opposing viewpoints on these boards - instead of just repeating party mantras.

Conservatives that I know do care about the 99%, but they think the best way to do this in the long run is by reducing the size and scope of government. They also tend to believe that many current welfare approaches cause more harm than good by building a dependence on government assistance.

To the liberals on this board, I'm not saying you have to agree with the conservative beliefs, but I do think it would be good if you viewed them as people with a different opinion, instead of "the enemy". My experience is the truth is almost always somewhere in the middle...

Anony Mous1..this is too cool...you want to replace Obama with Romney...who along with the rest of the republicans are deep into the pockets of the wealthy..which he,Romney, is a part of. Blocking the Dood bill...that would be great for the wealthy and the banking industry that brought on the housing melt down..great...lets not have ANY regulations at all..let the wealthy and big busines do whatever they wish..which today is just what the republicans are pushing for. Granted..lobbyist are into the pockets of all politicans..but, that is our fault..for not voting out those who use it the most and back it 100%. Study the wnats of the republicans in their budget...just who does it help..certainly not tax payers who have been paying for years with little or no tax breaks like all the wealthy do get...including Romney, who has kept much of his money off shore. If you think he is going to favor the middle class with anything...you really need to read just what he says and proposes along with the rest of the republicans. He and his republican friends have already shown that they will favor their wealthy friends.

ivan,

I don't think anyone is arguing for no regulations. The question is, what are the appropriate regulations? For example, one provision I strongly dislike in the Dodd/Frank bill is it codifies "too big to fail"...which means certain companies know the government will bail them out in the future if they screw up again. There are parts of the regulation that almost everyone agrees with, but there are also some other parts that people disagree with because they think it's bad policy for the country as a whole.

As to the "rich Republican" comments - almost all politicians in DC in both parties are multi-millionaires. Yes, Romney is very rich, but so is Kerry, and so are the Kennedy's. Being rich is not a crime.

Ron - "Being rich is not a crime."

Bank of America Corp Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan made $8.1 million in total compensation last year, more than four times the $1.9 million he received in 2010, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.

Do you think there's something wrong with this picture or not? Where do you think the money came from to pay Mr. Moynihan? It's surely not because Bank of America was more than four times as valuable to the American economy last year than the year before.

That money came out of the mouths of hard-working American families. And that is where your theory fails.

RealAmericansFirst,

Just curious, do you have a problem with the compensation these people received last year?

Johnny Depp - $50 million

Oprah Winfrey - $220 million

Tiger Woods - $72 million

"Conservatives that I know do care about the 99%, but they think the best way to do this in the long run is by reducing the size and scope of government. They also tend to believe that many current welfare approaches cause more harm than good by building a dependence on government assistance"

Let's be honest. The target is not "welfare". "Welfare" was reformed in the 90s, and is a small percentage of federal spending. "Welfare" is a campaign slogan to rile up the rednecks.

Don't let them fool you. The REAL GOP targets are Social Security and medicare. Did George Bush try to reform "welfare"? No, he tried to privatize Social Security.

They're sneaky.

RAF

"That money came out of the mouths of hard-working American families."

Ahhh........what? You apparently have a really weird place to keep your money.

Actually......BOA was TOLD by the Sec. of the Treasury at the time that they HAD to take the money the government was offering.....even though they didn't need it and didn't want it. They've since paid the $25 back, with interest, and having overcome some major problems with Country Wide (run by Obama's friend Angelo) Moynihan is being rewarded for making both his Board and the millions of BOA stockholders (you may even be one.......nah, never mind) happy. Try to know something about the posts you respond to in the future.

sam-298381

Every individual category of government spending can be called a "small percentage." For instance, the 2012 budget says spending on Health Care is a mere 17%, Defense 14%, Welfare 11%, Pensions 16%, Education 15%, all other spending 26%. Yet, we're talking about total federal, state, and local spending of over $6 trillion, with a federal budget deficit of over $1 trillion. What are people like you going to say when we're spending $800-900 Billion dollars every year just on interest on the debt? That it's just a small percentage of the overall budget, so we shouldn't worry about it? Source: www.usgovernmentspending.com

Don't be fooled. Neither party in Washington D.C. truly has the best interests of the people at heart.

Of course the financial industry is going to support Romney, or anyone else they felt might get the nomination. The financial industry supports Obama as well, and they are not so stupid as to put all of their eggs in one basket. But here on MSNBC you will only hear one side of the story in an effort to paint the picture differently. Ideology based biased reporting.

Ron , no , I don't have a problem with Johnny Depp , Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods making that money - they are private individuals. I may not think they deserve it - but more power to them.

Corporations that get tax breaks or bailouts - DO take money from taxpayers - by hook or by crook , and DO NOT earn it or deserve it. My stock portfolio certainly doesn't approve of these types of corporate payouts , bonuses or Golden Parachutes and it for sure doesn't match the growth percentages. It's downright thievery.

I have a problem with anyone who makes that kind of money. No one person works that good and that hard to recieve that kind of payout. What it means is that anyone who buys what these people promote are paying too much and getting ripped off. Or. Maybe we are just stupid.

Ron, the problem is not the individuals that make mega millions. The problem is the value system of a country that places those values on the people. When our country values actors/athletes/uber-elite SO much more than doctors, teachers, care-givers (caring for our most precious loved ones), I have to wonder about the whole system. The gap between most of us and the wealthiest is worse now than a few decades ago. The tax cuts to the top have gone down WAY more than they have for the rest of us, which is part of the reason for the ever increasing gap. I am disgusted with the 'greed is good' mentality too.

lib50,

I am also disgusted with the "greed is good" mentality, but I think this attitude pervades all social-economic levels in our society. The wealthy are better than the rest of us at accumulating resources (which is why they are wealthy), but in my mind they are no different from those that feel a right to take from others that are more financially successful than they are.

How many people does Johnny Depp and Tiger Woods employ?

I'm amazed....... they mean to say that political contributions by the financial sector are the highest? Who would have thought........ Going to need higher boots as the crap level goes up and up. Politics for sale anyone?

I think Johnny Depp, Oprah Winfrey, and Tiger Woods all need a big tax cut, so they'll create some jobs.

Just curious, do you have a problem with the compensation these people received last year?

Johnny Depp - $50 million

Oprah Winfrey - $220 million

Tiger Woods - $72 million

Hmmm, haven't heard about those bailouts! Not one $ of those salaries came from any bailout for movie, TV or golf industry. Banks? Banks were definitely bailed out and CEO's are now making record salaries for f'ing up!

Bill-Austin...I'm one of the independents you mentioned and I'm also wondering what flavor kool-aid you're drinking today.

If you believe the republicans, we don't even need a government. They want to strengthen the hold of the 1% and send us back into feudalism. After all, God meant you to use your brain to become and stay rich. The false prophets have developed such a huge following promising salvation for submission. Believing those lies ends up making their followers as dishonest as they are. You can throw out all the commandments of God and yet be saved by simply uttering a few words that are bought with falsehood. Such dishonest people cannot even see the truth because they have sold out their integrity and they know this somewhere in their minds and are in denial of it. How can you be a Christian and only believe the 1% of the Bible they quote to make their case? God does not grant anyone a short cut into heaven. Either you follow all of His commandments or you will not be able to face Him when the time comes. God did not make a hell and there is no devil, because God loves everyone and if even one soul would be lost, He would have created nothing. The hell you will endure will be one of your own making and you will stay there until you can give up the lies and accept the love that is His true essence. Look carefully into your own mind and you will find God and the truth waiting there for you.

Compare:

Obama spent 1 trillion dollars to get the unemployment below 8%. Where are we with that?

Bush spent 750 billion on TARP. How much profit did we make on that? And also, we avoided the freezing-up of the Capital Markets and dodged a great depression.

Now Obama is taking credit for the Auto Industry Bailout started by Bush.

Bush was by no means a great president but he had made more good decisions that Obama. Both will go down as our worst presidents.

We need to go back to fundamentals and elect the most qualified candidate and that is Romney.

A bit naive?

Romney doesn't see you, doesn't care about you, doesn't understand you. But he will still use, sell, profit from you. How does it feel to be chattel? Women are going to find out what their "place" in society is when the far right gets control over congress. The writing is on the wall.

Where do you want that "price tag" tattoo burned into your skin?

Bush made more good decisions than Obama? Tell the 4400 soldiers and sailors who died in Iraq for a useless war that view. As a side note, the war cost over 2 trillion. Where are we with that?

bob-1008224: Bob the war in Iraq was certainly been a disaster. Bush, like Obama, were both incompetent to be President and we've seen the effects of their judgements. Because of the weakness projected by Obama, we lost lives in Afghanistan.

My point is that Romney is the most qualified candidate I've seen since Bill Clinton -- yes I liked the peace and prosperity under Bill Clinton -- to have come along. If we don't like Romney in 4 years, then we vote him out. The disaster was continuing with Bush and it will be a further disaster to continue with Obama.

Anony,

I agree with your assessments of Clinton, Bush 2 and Obama. I wish more people on this board could focus on the actions of the individual politicians and not which party they belong to...

Ron-1861300: Absolutely. We need to select the best candidate and stop being a tool of party politics which in itself is a division. I believe most of America fall smack in the middle. There has to be more Independents in this country.

Women are leaving the Republican party, and so are Hispanics.

You won't win swing states if this continues.

Romney is no leader.

Does anybody here remember what happened to the Democratic Party on 11/2/10 which was just 15 months ago?.................and more importantly why?......do you really think that the angry American Voter forgot why?......If you do.....I guess you will have find out again in 6 very short months from now! Get reeeeeaaaaaadyyy to RUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMBBBBBLLLLE!!!!!

And send those lying teabaggers a packin back to their double wides.

Bill-Austin..."Romney doesn't see you, doesn't care about you, doesn't understand you."

But Obama and Biden sure do! This is what Biden had to say:

“These guys don’t have a sense of the average folks out there,”...“They don’t know what it means to be middle class.”

This was said during a speech to a group of $10,000 per couple campaign donors at Democrat Sen. John Kerry’s home in Georgetown, D.C. Kerry’s net worth is approximately $200 million.

ROFLMAO! Talking about naive!!!

Link to current data supporting that?

Timothy Geithner never worked for Goldman Sachs. I'd say he is among the most competent guys in Washington.

Also, your comparison of Romney to Obama in this regard is ridiculous. Romney has received $13,758,543 and Obama $5,581,381 (and in the particular case of Goldman Sachs, over 58% of their donations go to the Republican party), so if you are basing your vote on who gets less campaign donations from the financial sector then I guess you should vote for Obama.

Source: www opensecrets org/industries/contrib.php?cycle=2012&ind=F

Until the Constitution is amended in order to reverse Citizens United v FEC (an effort which currently enjoys more support from the Democrats than the Republicans), you can't expect the Democrats or any other party to be able to win an election without large amounts of corporate money. The fact that Obama is getting less money from corporations and is still kicking Romney's ass in all the polls, without spending anywhere near the amount of time and money Romney has already spent on attack ads against him and smears in the Republican debates, really speaks volumes of which of them has better ideas and integrity.

Romney is the top choice of the securities and investment industry. His campaign has received $6.8 million with President Barack Obama a distant second at $2.3 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The pro-Obama super PAC, Priorities USA Action, has collected $175,000 from the industry.

This is the link provided, but it somehow differs from your statement. It stands to reason that the financial industry would back the candidate that will help them the most. It doesn't seem to matter anymore if he's Republican or Democrat. The Angelaides Report is forgotten. The Glass-Steagall act has been repealed. The banking industry has free reign! Our Democratic system has been replaced by a Corporatist system. This is plain to see.

We have billionaires giving to SuperPacs, who campaign on behalf of a candidate that they don't confer with? And the candidate will owe nothing to the SuperPacs contributors when he wins the campaign? The arrogance of our government to treat us "common folk" as ignorant fools is beyond belief!! Yet it has happened and is continuing to happen, so maybe they are right. Politicians only do what they can to get re-elected, to get re-elected they the financial backing, enter the lobbyists, who will bribe (legally?) the politicians to back the legislation they need enacted or repealed according to the corporations they represent. Washington and Wall St. are a carousel of the same names with different titles. We have been invaded from within, and are losing, with not so much as a fight.

Miker, good post but I would argue that our Democratic system has not been replaced by a Corporatist system. Our entire cultural, governmental and economic systems have become or are becoming oligarchies.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/oligarchy

That's the truly grating thing about the hedge fund managers. They pay the capital gains rate (15%) on salary and bonuses, not just capital gains on investments. You and I pay twice that on our earnings. Frankly, I think we're looking at this the wrong way. Instead of raising the tax rate on the 1%, let's lower the tax rate for the remaining 99%. After all, if they feel they're already paying a fair share, then that fair rate should be applied to everyone.

They don't pay 15% on salary and bonuses. They pay 15% on capital gains, and "performance based" bonuses. It's just their pay and bonuses is structured in a way that it is mostly capital gains. For example they have a small "salary" taxed at the normal rate, other compensation for services paid as stock options which are eligible for 15% rate, a huge performance based bonus with a low bar to achieve wihich is actually disguised salary that is often also stock options or at least still eligible for the 15% rate anyway, and then the capital gains themselves on top of it. They are using loopholes to subvert the intent of the law which was originally to spur investment not to create an elite rich.

How is discussing 2008 fairness? Your interest in fairness is actually a lesson in hypocrisy.

Did you support Obama getting all the Wall Street money in 2008?

If no, why do you support Romney getting it now?

If yes, then why are you complaining?

corporations,

For me, I would like to know if 2012 is any different from 2008 before I draw any conclusions. I'm not complaining about anything - I just want the data so I can make an informed decision.

Jesus came to the USA in year one - never trust a religion that is only a few decades old

George, listening to one religious follower make fun of a different religion is like listening to someone who believes in Santa Claus make fun of someone who believes in the Easter Bunny.

Do you really believe some old guy built a wooden boat the size of an aircraft carrier and a mating pair of every species of animal just magically wandered onto it for a pleasant cruise while the entire world flooded??

Why is that story so credible but some spaceship in a comet's tail is preposterous??

I'm a Pastafarian myself...:)

" never trust a religion that is only a few decades old -"

Old fairy tales are better than new fairy tales?

...you mean, he's not a muslim from Kenya?

Agree 100%. It's also exactly how I feel about Obama.

Texans for Obama. That's two of us.

I read a perfectly accurate description of today's political environment. I can't recall the source, but here it is anyway:

Democrats: We can solve all your problems! Here's your money. Vote for us!

Republicans: Government is too big! Here's your money. Vote for us!

You're talking about two sides of the same coin. Both sides want to control you. Democrats claim to care about you while making you dependent on them. That's not freedom. Republicans take care of all their friends (Democrats do, too, you just don't hear about it as much in the media), while pretending to care about you, but we all know they don't.

Democrats want to take your money and give it to someone else.

Republicans want to take your money and keep it.

This "poor" person wants to know why he needs any donations.................ah, isn't this GOP nominee super wealthy?????????? Ah, isn't HIS money enough to run for President? Or is he just going to sit on it in the Carribean banks??????